Studies on a liquid crystal device which is applicable to a flexible electronic device product such as a display, a smart window, or a sunroof are ongoing.
Specifically, a liquid crystal device includes a configuration in which a conductive layer is introduced above a substrate and a dielectric film, a liquid crystal alignment film having an electrical or electro-optical function, a gap spacer, etc are provided above and below the conductive layer. Further, the liquid crystal devices which are provided above and below the liquid crystal are manufactured by a roll-to-roll (R2R) based continuous process of the related art.
The conductive layer which is included in the liquid crystal device is provided with a metal oxide layer which is transparent, and has conductivity above the substrate, to form an electrical field for controlling an alignment of liquid crystal. The liquid crystal alignment film may impart an alignment function to the liquid crystal.
In the step of processing the liquid crystal device according to the purpose of products, processes such as electrical short-circuiting and cutting are also important, but a process of imparting adhesiveness and durability to the liquid crystal device provided above/below the liquid crystal is particularly important.
Further, in order to seal upper and lower liquid crystal devices above and below the liquid crystal, the liquid crystal alignment film has excellent adhesiveness, with a sealant provided between the upper and lower liquid crystal devices. However, when the liquid crystal alignment film does not have excellent adhesiveness with the sealant, a process of exposing the substrate by selectively removing the liquid crystal alignment film and the conductive layer is additionally required.
This is an inconvenient process in that a removal process such as photolithography, inkjet, and slot die (including an etching paste) methods of the related art need to ensure an overlay precision of the conductive layer and the liquid crystal alignment film above the substrate. Further, there is a problem in that a cost of the facility for increasing a size is increased.
Therefore, a process of separating the liquid crystal alignment film and the conductive layer with an etching process using a Galvano scanner and a laser beam which is focused with a diameter of several tens of micrometers has been tried. However, in this case, there were problems in that a removed cross-section is not smooth, residues are increased, and production speed is slow.
Therefore, studies on a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal display from which one area of the liquid crystal alignment film and the conductive layer is removed with a high quality while ensuring a process economic efficiency through a relatively simple process are required. Related Art Document: Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0030147